1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments relate to controlled starts of limited-time licenses for a telecommunication system with a number of IP terminals, preferably IP telephone devices, connected to it, wherein the licenses acquired by the respective customers for the telecommunication system are downloaded from a central license server on the Internet.
2. Background of the Related Art
A number of methods are already known for activating hardware and software licenses.
As published in EP 1 901 191 A 1, there are technical devices and configurations for which a license is required to use a resource. For example, acquiring a data storage medium including a computer program does not automatically include “permission” to use that computer program. Another common example of the use of licenses is modern communication systems, which are equipped by the manufacturer with a certain number of resources, such as interfaces, channels, services, etc. A certain number of licenses acquired by a user determines the extent to which the resources provided by the manufacturer may be used. The term “resource” designates any technical device, service, function, computer program, or similar item whose use requires permission, i.e., a license.
As in EP 1 901 191 A 1, in the ideal case a manufacturer makes exactly the quantity of resources available to its customers, with an identical number of licenses, as is needed to meet the customer's requirements. In the example of a communication setup, this means that a customer desiring to operate twenty branch offices receives a communication setup with twenty user interfaces, and obviously also a license to operate the twenty user interfaces (and to use 20 channels). However, this example has the disadvantage that, as the customer's need increases, both individual resources (here, physical user interfaces) and the usage licenses required to operate them must be supplied later. This is both logistically and technically disadvantageous. For this reason, technical installations like the communications setup described here are often “oversized” with respect to their resources, meaning that instead of the twenty resources initially required, twenty-four or thirty resources (user connections) are delivered, for example, but only twenty licenses. Then, to expand the telecommunication setup, it is necessary only to acquire additional licenses in order to “activate” the already-supplied additional resources. Another example is computer programs that are distributed with the complete version on a data storage medium or can even be downloaded from the Internet, but which require an “activation code” (“installation key”), and therefore the purchase of a license, in order to use them. Depending upon the activation code (type of license), the customer can use the computer program to a greater or lesser extent. This means that, in this example as well, the resources (here, functions of the computer program) are available (provided) to the customer in advance, but can be used only with a license. In brief, the use of licenses is a tool for permitting or disallowing the use of services, i.e., resources, as needed.
For example, in the case of software products, the tryout phase of a software starts with installing the product, where usually a certain number (e.g., 10-20) of trial copies of this software are available for a limited time, without having to activate the full version on line or telephonically using the serial number as a license key.
As an example of a license-based usage scenario, EP 1 901 191 describes a communication network with three communication nodes, where a license is required to use a channel associated with each communication node (e.g., for each telephone conversation). If thirty terminals are connected to each of the three communication setups, then thirty licenses can be issued for each communication setup, for example. This has the advantage that there are always enough licenses available in each communication setup for the resources (here, channels), even when all users are on the phone, i.e., are using their resources, at the same time. However, such a configuration has the disadvantage for the communication network operator that he must acquire ninety licenses, even though it is highly unlikely that all ninety users will actually be on the phone at the same time and therefore highly likely that acquiring such a large number of licenses is extremely unnecessary. To solve this problem, obviously, the number of licenses for each communication setup can be reduced, by half for example. However, it can then occur that the number of licenses acquired for the communication system may sometimes be insufficient, while at other times the communication system has extra unused licenses. This may cause a function to be unavailable due to “license shortage” at a certain location, even when there are enough licenses overall.
To resolve this “distribution problem,” EP 1 901 191 A 1 describes using flexible licenses that can always be applied where they are needed; a “floating licenses” concept is mentioned, and also “central licensing.” This is generally done using a central unit, a so-called “licensing server,” on which all available “releasable” licenses for the network or installation are placed in advance. As soon as a resource needs to be used (in the preceding example, this means: as soon as a channel needs to be used), that resource or the technical equipment that provides that resource (here, the communication setup), generates a connection to the license server and from it gets an available license for the duration of the use. As soon as the resource is no longer in use, the license is released by means of another data exchange with the license server, so that the license is once again available for other resources to use. This process has the advantage that it is not necessary to maintain the maximum number of licenses in every communication setup in the network for security reasons, i.e., in case exceptionally high utilization of capacity should occur, but instead the available licenses can be used flexibly for various resources or at various locations. The disadvantage to this method, however, is that the network load is higher due to the constant allocation and releasing of licenses. In addition, if the central license server breaks down or cannot be reached, the functionality of the entire network is severely limited.
EP 1 901 191 A 1 also mentions a method for administering licenses, wherein a license is assigned to a resource for the use of that resource and that license is released after the resource has been used. In this method, a first central unit records the number of available licenses, a second unit assigns a recorded available usage license to the resource to be used, and/or a license assigned to the resource by the second unit is recorded in the second unit as available when it ceases to be used. In a synchronization step, the difference between the number of licenses assigned for use since a previous synchronization step and the number released in that period of time from the second unit back to the first unit is repeatedly reported; depending on that difference, the number of available licenses recorded in the first unit is reduced and, inversely, the resulting number of available licenses is reported by the first unit to the second unit and is recorded there as the number of available licenses. This method guarantees that available licenses are actually available in the second unit after completion of the synchronization step, in an arrangement such that, with multiple second units, all applicable licenses are fully available to all of those second units. In this case, should any of the second units fail, all available licenses can still be accessed if the connection to the first unit (central unit) is broken or limited.